Is this the worst Eels team ever?

[Parra Pride]

BY the finish, Parramatta could only hurt each other.

On an afternoon when they conceded 64 points, in the process igniting debate about whether this is the worst Eels side of all-time, they could do little but watch Melbourne run riot and, occasionally, punch each other in the head.

It was that bad.

Only hours after their coach, Ricky Stuart, was the subject of a rumoured $7 million deal move to Canberra, the Eels were thumped 64-4 by premiers Melbourne at AAMI Park.

The embarrassing result, the second worst in the club’s history and a record loss to the Storm, saw the cellar dwellers leak 11 tries, miss a staggering 53 tackles and give up all but a paltry 35 per cent of possession.

It was an inept effort that was eventually capped when Eels prop Mitch Allgood, with nine minutes to go and his side trailing by 42 points and counting, went in to tackle Storm lock Ryan Hinchcliffe and whack Reni Maitua with enough force to drop him and force blood from his nose.
While skipper Tim Mannah insisted afterwards that his team hadn’t given up, "No. I can only speak for myself, but no".

Coach Stuart conceded several players simply "weren't there" as they slumped to their 12th loss in 13 games.

"It’s been a tough season for all involved," Stuart conceded of a match that saw Melbourne fullback Billy Slater score three tries.

Parramatta coach, Ricky Stuart, described the performance as 'very disappointing'. Going on to say 'I felt sorry for some players out there...

"I'm not taking anything away from the Storm, but, gee, we made it easy for them in patches.

"We were our own worst enemy ... errors you’d be critical of if it were an under-16 team. Our game was riddled with them."

So is this the worst Eels team ever?

Now winless in their past 18 games away from home, the blue and gold’s have conceded more than 50 points twice this year and more than 40 seven times.

Worse, during the final 27 minutes they allowed Melbourne to score seven tries, including three in the space of six minutes.

While Parramatta are no stranger to finishing last, the club did it six consecutive times from 1956, this current mob of Eels are still the first in 42 years to achieve consecutive wooden spoons.

Indeed, the only time the struggling club has suffered a worst result than this was in 1993, when the Raiders thumped them 68-blot.

But this was a loss that went far deeper than the numbers.

Despite scoring first, through Fijian winger Semi Redradra, and trailing just 14-6 at the break, the Eels were eventually left looking like the "after" shot at an abattoir.

Like when Storm centre Maurice Blair, confronted by four defenders and only a handful of minutes to play, had no right to score.

But did.

Or when rookie Tim Glasby broke through and, despite holding the ball in the wrong hand to fend, still did exactly that to score his first NRL try.

Elsewhere for Melbourne, Slater scored three, Ryan Hoffman ran for 162m and Cam Smith ... well, outside of Las Vegas hypnotists is there anyone who manoeuvres grown men better?

All up, the result was Melbourne’s second best, finishing just one converted try from their own record.

Had they been set to play the Eels again this year, the bookies would surely have them at short odds to break it.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...t-eels-team-ever/story-fni3ga7r-1226703773535

Hard to f**king argue against it, we're f**king terrible.

 

[Matty Bhoy]

It fücking hurts so much watching these guys run around. Those in charge of the club over the past few years really should hang their heads in shame. This is the worst squad of A Grade players I can ever recall. For the most part, absolutely gutless after going behind by anything more than two tries. How we're anywhere near the salary cap is beyond me.

 

[The Colonel]

The Eels didn't do themselves any favours however the Storm did the same to the Raiders a few weeks ago. The raiders hadn't been travelling too badly to that point and had already beaten the Stirm earlier in the season.

We are at the end of a very long season. It needs to be over for us, the players and the coaches very soon.

We are bad. I have witnessed worse in terms of having the 'best' players available to play regularly unlike this season.

 

[hineyrulz]

This is Parra's worst since at least 95, but those blokes had a dig each week.

The Magpies 99 team is still the worst I can remember.

 

[Sean7]

We are terrible, no doubt, but still better than the 95 team. The second half yesterday was as bad though. The 95 team could barely ever make a metre, had zero attack and the defense was as bad if not worse. The team this year has shown glimpses. Our best player has rarely played, our biggest recent signing (Sandow) has a gambling problem (currently not playing), our best young outside back (Loko) has been in and out and our other key signing, Willie Tonga has played maybe two games. I think now we just look like a bunch of kids that's too scared and doesn't know how to play with the big boys. They're just just learning, but on top of that, baring a few, I don't know how many of these young guys are really going to become first graders anyway. The club has been destroyed over the previous two seasons. I think Stuart could have done better and he pretty much conceded defeat before the season started, which was a bad move. Why would you care about losing if the coach is coming out in public saying that you can't win because you're not good enough anyway? But he doesn't have much to work with either. Do I think Bellamy or Bennett would have done better? Yes I do, but how many others would have?

Hmmm... I think I went off topic. So, the worst? No, but very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very... very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, bad. And the 99 Magpies are the worst team I've ever seen. Words cannot describe.

The year started off with promise, lets not forget. Not amazing, but promising and there were quite a few games we could have won with a bit of luck. I think the Gold Coast game absolutely destroyed them. It shouldn't have of course, but in reality I think it did. Why even bother when even when we outplay someone, something else is going to prevent us from winning anyway? Mentally weak, but I get the feeling that was the last straw.

A period during yesterday's game sums up our season pretty well:

We were down just 10-6 right before half time, then one of our most senior players, Matt Keating gives away a penalty to get Melbourne out of their half and they score on halftime. Then after half time, we have a player sin-binned because a player from Melbourne last week wasn't sin-binned, so we then let in three quick tries. After that, they just gave up. So within about 15 minutes the score went from 10-6 to something like 30-6, due to our senior players seemingly being on a mission to give away moronic penalties and Melbourne getting rewarded for being able to keep a player on the field last who should have been sin-binned by having one of our players sin-binned. As they say, it's good to be the king.

Alright that's enough, I probably should go to work.

 

[I bleed blue & gold]

I can't remember much of the 95 side, but they must haven been pretty fu*king bad to top this mob. Wow.

 

[parra-matters]

you know it's bad when you never miss a game on TV and record them as well just in case and yesterday i didn't even watch and just checked the internet for half time and full time score.
I remember the early '90's very well and this side is much much worse.
The worst in my 38 years.

 

[muznik]

you know it's bad when you never miss a game on TV and record them as well just in case and yesterday i didn't even watch and just checked the internet for half time and full time score.
I remember the early '90's very well and this side is much much worse.
The worst in my 38 years.

This.

I used to religously watch every Eels game and pretty much plan my weekend around them.

Yesterday I took the kids to the park and spent some quality time with them instead. (At least they show some appreciation and heart !)

I really dont have any ill feelings towards the players. Its more pity. A lot are just out of their depth in 1st grade. Cannot wait for the season to be over. Next year has to see some improvement....no excuses.

 

[ParraSteve]

Remarkably, this isn't even the worst Parramatta side in the last 20 years.
The Eels on Sunday conceded 50 points for the third time this season in their 64-4 hammering by Melbourne at AAMI Park, an inept performance that has plenty of friends in a dismal 2013 campaign.

On seven occasions this year they have given up 40 points or more, while 12 times in just 22 games the opposition has run in 30 or more points, Parramatta having all but locked up their second-straight wooden spoon.
Lean times indeed with the Eels conceding an average of 30.2 points per game.


Coach Ricky Stuart was right when he said after a 41-4 pre-season loss to Wests Tigers that there would be more days like this for his side as he set about rebuilding the club.

But as bad as it may seem for the blue and gold faithful, there were darker days out Parramatta way not so long ago.
In 1995 the Eels conceded 31.4 points per game, and gave up 50 or more on four occasions.

They ran 19th in a 20 team competition that year, winning just three of 22 games.

Their points differential was a staggering -380.

Given their current points differential is -370, that mark could still be bettered.



Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/These-Eels-s...5/articleID/310565/Default.aspx#ixzz2d2fDY0pw

Oh dear...

​

 

[Chipmunk]

I would be surprised if we didnt finish with a -400 For/Against.

 

[T.S Quint]

The '95 side was worse.
Not much worse, but still worse. Some people look back on that era with some sort of rose-tinted glasses (for what reason I'll never know) when they say "Well, at least they had a dig" or "Those blokes showed some heart" - it was a team with no talent just like we have now, who got smashed every week just like we are now.
I'm guessing it just feels worse now because it's been the same for a few years now. The '95 team was bookended by slightly better seasons so it wasn't as hard to take.

 

[emjaycee]

In 1995 we only won 3 games and got 50 put on us 4 times. Compared to this year where we have won 4 and only had 50 put on us 3 times. This is from 22 games played.

1995 2013
Penrith L 18 - 24 Warriors W 40 - 10
South Queensland W 26 - 2 Canterbury L 16 - 20
Canberra L 18 - 34 Wests Tigers L 18 - 31
Western Suburbs L 6 - 32 Sydney L 0 - 50
South Sydney L 18 - 40 Cronulla W 13 - 6
Gold Coast L 18 - 22 Gold Coast Titans L 22 - 28
Auckland L 4 - 40 Penrith L 12 - 44
South Queensland L 14 - 33 North Queensland L 10 - 14
North Queensland W 20 - 4 Brisbane W 19 - 18
St George L 6 - 56 St George Illawarra L 12 - 32
Sydney Bulldogs W 22 - 16 Gold Coast Titans L 4 - 42
Canberra L 12 - 50 Sydney L 24 - 38
Brisbane L 14 - 60 Cronulla L 14 - 32
North Sydney L 4 - 36 South Sydney L 10 - 30
Manly Warringah L 6 - 28 Manly Warringah L 10 - 50
Illawarra L 12 - 52 Penrith L 10 - 17
Western Reds L 14 - 24 Canberra L 0 - 14
Sydney City L 20 - 26 Canterbury L 12 - 40
Newcastle L 12 - 19 Manly Warringah L 6 - 40
Cronulla L 18 - 48 Wests Tigers W 26 - 22
Sydney Tigers L 16 - 26 Brisbane L 12 - 22
Penrith L 12 - 18 Melbourne L 64 - 4

 

[Gronk]

Looks like it will be a hot topic tonight on the Matty Johns show.

FOX SPORTS NRL ‏@FOXNRL 48s Eels: 2nd worst loss ever, 2nd game they have lost by 50+ in 2013, 6th game they have lost by 30+ in 2013. Worst Parra team ever? #Matty

 

[Eels Dude]

In 1995 we only won 3 games and got 50 put on us 4 times. Compared to this year where we have won 4 and only had 50 put on us 3 times. This is from 22 games played.

That's some ugly reading. You can talk about points conceded, but as it stands at the moment, bar some miracle we will finish 2013 as the worst attacking side since that infamous Western Suburbs side in 1999.

 

[The EELiminator]

Looks like it will be a hot topic tonight on the Matty Johns show.

thanks for the warning gronk

now i know the show will be 10 minutes covering the other games and 50 minutes of matty johns laying the boot into hindy i wont bother watching it

 

[The Engineers Room]

In 1995 we only won 3 games and got 50 put on us 4 times. Compared to this year where we have won 4 and only had 50 put on us 3 times. This is from 22 games played.

Season is not over yet...

 

[salvy71]

the 1995 team finished with a for and against of -380 ....we'll finish with -400 this year at the very least ....I still think this team is the worst I've seen since 1980 ....only just shading the 95 team .....a 40 - 10 win over the Warriors and the tight win over a Cronulla side struggling with the peptide saga in the first few rounds of the season makes it a close decision ....since the shark win they have been horrendous ....

 

[TheFrog]

That's some ugly reading. You can talk about points conceded, but as it stands at the moment, bar some miracle we will finish 2013 as the worst attacking side since that infamous Western Suburbs side in 1999.

The Eels have scored 51 tries so far this season. They need one more to equal the '99 Magpies. The fewest since then is the 2010 Sharks, who scored 62.

 

[Gazzamatta]

Based on attitude, defence and headlines, its the worst Parramatta Team I have witnessed since my support started in 1964. I love the club dearly but given the degree with witch the forwards are dominated every week and with only the addidtion of Peats and Mossop next year, regretably I dont see too much improvement on the horizon. I do remain hopefull nonetheless.

 

[Avenger]

The Eels have scored 51 tries so far this season. They need one more to equal the '99 Magpies. The fewest since then is the 2010 Sharks, who scored 62.

Who coached the 2010 Cronulla side ?